The nature of God is a circle of which the center is everywhere

Hear the voice of Empedocles, sage of ancient Sicily, who spoke in images of fire and mystery: “The nature of God is a circle of which the center is everywhere and the circumference is nowhere.” In these words lies a vision of the divine that cannot be measured by compass or bound by walls. For the circle here is not geometry alone, but symbol, an image of infinity, of wholeness, of presence unconfined. The center everywhere proclaims that God dwells in all places, in all beings, in every breath of existence. The circumference nowhere declares that no boundary, no edge, no final limit can contain Him.

The origin of this saying rests in the mystical traditions of the ancients, who sought to describe the infinite with images borrowed from the finite. The circle was to them the most perfect shape, without beginning or end, each point flowing into the next. Empedocles, a poet-philosopher who spoke of the elements and the cosmic dance of love and strife, turned this image to the divine, teaching that the Godhead is both immanent — present in all things — and transcendent, beyond all limits. Thus his words echo across time, later taken up by Neoplatonists, mystics, and saints, all pointing to the same mystery: God is both everywhere and beyond.

Consider the example of Giordano Bruno, who in the Renaissance declared that the universe was infinite, filled with countless suns and worlds, and that the divine was present in all. For such daring words he was condemned, yet his vision echoed Empedocles: if the cosmos is boundless, then so too is the divine, whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere. Bruno’s sacrifice shows us the cost of voicing such truths in times of fear, and the power of these words to awaken the mind to boundlessness.

This teaching also speaks to the soul’s search for God. Too often man asks: Where is God? Is He in temple, in scripture, in holy places alone? But Empedocles teaches otherwise: if the center is everywhere, then God is found not only in altars but in the stone, the river, the face of a child, the silence of dawn. And if the circumference is nowhere, then He cannot be confined to one nation, one creed, one form. The divine is nearer than breath, wider than worlds. To grasp this is to walk with awe in every moment.

Yet the saying also humbles the seeker. For if God’s circumference is nowhere, then He cannot be fully comprehended, mapped, or mastered. The mind may circle endlessly but never close the loop. This is why mystics fall silent, why prophets speak in parables, why poets give us symbols rather than definitions. The circle is a reminder that the divine is both utterly present and utterly beyond. To live in this tension is to live in reverence.

The lesson for us is clear: seek God not only in the high places but in all places, for His center is everywhere. Do not confine Him to the narrow boundaries of your own thought or tradition, for His circumference is nowhere. Approach all things with reverence, for in all things the divine pulse beats. But also walk with humility, knowing that what you see is only a reflection, never the whole. To claim complete knowledge of God is folly; to stand in wonder before the mystery is wisdom.

Therefore, take these practical actions: Begin each day by recognizing the divine presence in the smallest detail — the light through the window, the rhythm of your breath, the voice of another. Let no prejudice blind you, for if the center is everywhere, then every soul is sacred. When pride tempts you to declare mastery over the divine, remember that the circumference is nowhere, and bow your spirit in humility. And when despair whispers that God is absent, recall that He is closer than your own heartbeat, the center of all.

So remember the words of Empedocles: “The nature of God is a circle of which the center is everywhere and the circumference is nowhere.” Take them into your heart as fire and compass. Let them remind you that you are never far from the sacred, and yet never able to contain it. Live then in awe, in humility, and in reverence, for you dwell always at the center of the divine circle, and the circle has no end.